


wish upon a moon

by jjmbb



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Bullying, Choi Soobin Is Bad At Feelings, Fluff, High School, M/M, Protect Soobin at all costs, Whipped Choi Yeonjun, Yeonbin, Yeonjun 4th Gen It-Boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:13:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23610622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjmbb/pseuds/jjmbb
Summary: After transferring to a new school, reserved and distant Choi Soobin crosses paths with extroverted and observant Choi Yeonjun.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 85





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> Hello I don’t really know where I’m going with this fic but I hope you enjoy the ride sksksk also excuse the grammar mistakes i wrote this at 4 am

Soobin’s eyes quickly opened and stared at his ceiling for what seemed like forever. It was clear to him the moment he woke up he wasn’t going back to bed, and just a few hours ago he was trying his hardest to fall asleep. 

He pushed out a deep sigh and leaned his back on his headboard. His head turned towards the window in his room and the curtain covering it, in which light had easily struck through. Soobin grabbed his phone from his nightstand and checked the time. To his surprise, his phone read 4:37 AM. 

In just two hours, he was about to start his senior year. But that wasn’t necessarily the reason that anxiously kept Soobin up last night, it was mostly due to the fact that today was his first day at a new school. Habitually, he picked his thumb in anxiety yesterday to the point where it bled. Which is pretty unfortunate for someone who is very squeamish when it comes to blood. At 12AM that night, he made a quick stop at a convenience store near his apartment to buy some bandaids and nearly tripped from avoiding making eye contact with his finger. 

While facing another two hours of his throbbing finger and anxious thoughts of the events that were to happen in a few hours, he finally fell asleep at 2AM. However, his slumber was short-lived. He made his way towards the window on the left side of his bed and pushed the curtains aside to reveal a beautiful clear sky and a shining moon. He brought over a chair to sit on and comfortably rested his head on his arm on the windowsill. He stared at the moon a while longer and felt calm by its presence. 

“Can you grant me a wish?” He asked the moon. He glanced at his bandaged thumb and began to caress it with his index finger. “I want to trust people again.” His trust was only shattered once, but at that point it became clear to him that it would only take a miracle to fix it back again. Flashbacks of that time kept coming back to him. The pain he felt sank deep into his chest. He took one more glance at the moon before closing his eyes once again. 

The loud, piercing sound of Soobin’s alarm gradually became more annoying, forcing him to finally wake up from his sleep. He slept in the most uncomfortable position, upright with his back slouched forward and arm almost completely restricted from any blood flow due to his head. Soobin achingly made his way towards his nightstand to turn on his alarm and was hit with the painful reality that he was about to be late on his first day. 6:45 AM. 

With the first bell ringing at 7:00 AM and a thirty minute walk to school, Soobin hurriedly got prepared and dashed out of his apartment. It would have been convenient for him to ride his bike at times like this, but his bike has been in the repair shop for over a week after it was run over by the movers truck his parents sent over with the last of his belongings that he left in his room, plus a bit of new furniture they bought for him.

It was he who decided to move out of his parents house in Seoul. His parents expressed great concern for Soobin after the incident and both insisted that they, as a family, would move. In the end, Soobin begged them to allow him to live on his own. He made it seem like he wanted to be more independent, but in reality, he didn’t want to jeopardize his parents’ business. After their bakery gained massive popularity and revenue, they had begun to expand and opened new bakeries around the area. Soobin couldn’t possibly think of pulling his parents away from their dreams. 

He decided to move to Gyeonggi-do, figuring that he probably couldn’t live hours away from his parents, but also needed a change of scenery. He was fortunate enough that his parents settled on paying his rent, but he made it clear to them that he wanted to earn his own money to pay for other expenses. That summer, Soobin found himself working part-time at a café near his school. Although, he might quit soon to give himself more time to focus on his studies. But he doesn’t need to worry as much since his grades have always been excellent. 

With a minute to spare, Soobin sat himself at one of the desks near a window. Still panting from running, he scanned the sides of his backpack for his water bottle. But it wasn’t there. _I could’ve sworn I packed it._ He began to scan the floor, wondering if it fell on the floor when he was rushing to get to a seat. In fact, he was right. However, his relief quickly turned into horror. The boy next to him was resting his feet on his bottle, and even worse, it seemed like he was taking a nap. 

_Maybe I can try waking him up?_ Soobin thought, but all his attempts to wake the boy up failed. So he decided to just go for the bottle. When Soobin reached awkwardly for the bottle, the other boy moved his feet closer to him, rolling the bottle and startling Soobin. When Soobin made a second attempt for the bottle, the other boy moved his feet away from his body and rolled the bottle away from Soobin’s grasp once again. Soobin made two other attempts to retrieve his bottle until it was clear to him that the boy just wanted to mess with him. 

Instead of snapping at the boy, Soobin gave up. “It’s fine, you can have it.” He made his way back to his seat just in time for the teacher to arrive. However, Soobin didn’t notice the boy lift his head up to look at him.

A tall, handsome teacher made his way towards the front of the class and set his laptop on the teacher’s podium. “Good morning students. It looks like I have the pleasure of being some people’s homeroom teacher once again, so I hope you bear with my clumsiness for another year.” Some students laughed. _What a deep voice,_ Soobin thought. 

“For those who don’t know me, my name is Mr. Kim, however, I don’t mind if you call me by my first name, Namjoon,” the teacher introduced himself. “Today I was hoping we could all do a fun little ice-breaker before I pass out all the boring papers I’m required to give to you today.” The thought made Soobin a bit anxious, but at least everyone had to participate. Soobin endured the last few months of junior year to avoid transferring in the middle of the school year. He disliked how awkward that kind of transition would be and how you were made to talk about yourself in front of the entire class. Here, all eyes were on you for a brief moment and moved onto the next person. When it was finally his turn to speak, he made sure to make it short and simple. Like the rest of his peers, he stood up from his seat and introduced himself. “Hello, my name is Choi Soobin and I enjoy eating bread.” 

However, there was one thing that Soobin forgot to anticipate. For someone of his stature, it’s hard for people not to bring up his height. Before he could sit back down, there was an uproar in the classroom. “Woah! How are you so tall?” “Dude he’s like a giant!” “Hey, tell us your secrets lol” “Geez what did this guy eat?” “I don’t think I’ve seen him before?” “I think he’s new here!” 

He stuck out like a sore thumb. Upon hearing their comments, Soobin’s ears immediately became flushed. He wasn’t expecting so much attention so soon and was at a loss for words. It must have been obvious he was uncomfortable, because Mr. Kim had suddenly shifted the attention back onto the ice breaker. “That’s enough guys, thank you Soobin.” Soobin sat back down and covered his ears with his cold hands to cool them back up. _Maybe I should’ve slouched a bit._

“May the next person please introduce themselves?” Namjoon glanced at the boy sitting next to Soobin. Since Soobin entered the classroom, he hasn’t seen the boy lift his head up once. He also noticed that at that point, the Mr. Kim lost his patience with him. “Choi Yeonjun, do not make me write you a referral on the first day of school.” This managed to make the boy jerk his head up and sit properly on his chair. The class laughed. Namjoon sighed, “I suppose you don’t plan on being a headache for me this year too?” 

Yeonjun scratched his head and grinned, “I’m still deciding.” The whole class laughed. Namjoon couldn’t help but crack a smile. Soobin took this opportunity to see what this guy looked like. He was handsome, kinda how K-Pop idol visuals looked like. His hair was dyed a dark shade of blue and his ears were noticeably pierced. It seemed like everyone liked this guy, and Soobin understood a bit where the popularity is coming from. 

“Alright, I see. Just be a little easy on me this year,” Namjoon said. The ice-breakers finally wrapped up and Namjoon began with all the first-day responsibilities. Soobin tried his best to concentrate and focus on all the info that was being handed out, but he couldn’t help but notice someone staring at him on his right. Soobin tried his best to show him that he’s uncomfortable with the staring, but Yeonjun persisted until Namjoon caught him not paying attention to his instructions. “Hello? Earth to Yeonjun? Please stop staring at Soobin, you might burn a hole through him.” Other students shifted their attention to both of them. A few of Yeonjun’s friends chimed in. 

“Oooooh, Yeonjun’s got a _crush._ ” They laughed. “It looks like he’s fallen hard for him.” 

“I truly feel bad for Soobin.” Yeonjun lightly punched his friend’s shoulder. 

“It’s not like that,” Yeonjun finally took his eyes off Soobin. “I’ve never seen him before, it’s a nice change of scenery. I’ve grown tired looking at all your ugly faces,” he said, directly at his friends. 

“Ya! Don’t you think we’ve grown tired of your face too?” Another boy laughed. “Wow, being a trainee has really made you arrogant.” _Ah, that explains it._

“Please, you wish you had talents like Yeonjun,” a female classmate added. 

“You wanna see _real_ dancing?” Another classmate chimed in. He seemed to be very close with Choi Yeonjun. If Soobin remembered correctly, the one speaking is Jeon Jungkook. 

The boy stood up from his seat and began twerking right next to Yeonjun. Disgust from many of his female peers emitted throughout the classroom, however, the majority of the class played along and clapped for Jungkook.

“Jungkook-ah,” Yeonjun looked at the other, trying to suppress his laugh. “I’d like to apologize on your behalf to twerkers worldwide.”

“Wow,” Jungkook stopped twerking and turned to Yeonjun, visibly hurt from his words. “Ya, this kid—I’m 12 days older than you, show some respect!” The entire class became loud and filled with laughs. Soobin was surprised Mr. Kim could calm them down in just a few seconds.

“Alright, settle down. I’ll let you guys off the hook for being noisy since it’s the first day of school,” Namjoon turned to face Yeonjun and his friends. “But I won’t be so lenient next time.” 

The school day went by smoothly from that point. Soobin became acquainted with many of his classmates, however, he always made sure to keep a distance. He exchanged phone numbers, but for school related matters; he showed no interest in developing close friendships with them. He made sure he socialized enough so he wouldn’t turn into an outcast or sit alone at lunch. But the most he would share about himself was just the surface. _The more I blend in, the faster this year will go by._ At that moment, Soobin was only interested in graduating that year. 

As Soobin was about to leave the campus, he felt a few water droplets fall on his head. He looked up at the sky and a few drops turned into rain. He ran back inside and stared at the pavement in front of him. _Shit, that’s definitely rain._ Soobin was in such a hurry this morning and had completely forgotten to check the weather forecast today. Even worse, he didn’t even bring his umbrella. _Should I just wait for it to stop?_

And so he waited. 

And waited, and waited. And thirty minutes in, he finally decided to say _screw it._ Soobin rummaged through his backpack to find the least valuable textbook to use as a cover. Before he could make a step out of the building, a boy wearing a helmet stopped his bike in front of Soobin. 

“Need a lift?” Soobin recognized that voice. He looked up in front of him to see Choi Yeonjun saddled on a silver bike. Instinctively, Soobin tried to push him away. 

“No, it’s fine. Thank you, though.” He smiled. But it seemed like Yeonjun wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. 

“It’ll rain for another hour or so, and the school closes in thirty minutes,” Yeonjun shrugged. “You don’t really have a choice.” Despite being taken aback by his words, Soobin took upon his offer. _It’d be more humiliating if word goes around that I was stuck at school because I forgot my umbrella._

Soobin sat himself behind Yeonjun, and began anxiously thinking about how he should hold onto him during the ride. Almost as if he read Soobin’s mind, Yeonjun added, “Ah, don’t worry about where to hold. Although, I think you’d be more comfortable holding onto my waist.” Soobin’s ears became flushed. _This is so awkward, I’ve never held onto another guy like this before._ Yeonjun turned around and handed Soobin an umbrella. “For the both of us,” he smiled. “Well, I can’t exactly hold it myself.” 

Yeonjun biked fast, but not recklessly. Soobin told him directions to his place as they went. When they finally arrived, Yeonjun asked if he could stay just until it stopped raining. Hesitant at first, Soobin eventually brought him to his apartment and offered Yeonjun a towel to dry himself as a thanks for offering him a ride. 

Yeonjun curiously observed the details in Soobin’s apartment. “Do you live alone?” He finally asked. 

“I do,” Soobin said, surprised from the sudden question. Yeonjun sat down on the couch and set down the cup of tea Soobin had brewed for him. An awkward silence ensued. The two sat at opposite sides of the living room. Unpredictability, Yeonjun broke the silence. “Are you always this distant?” Soobin shot up a look at him. 

“What are you talking about?” 

“Ah,” Yeonjun read the mood. “Sorry, did I hit it right on the nose?” Soobin was speechless. He didn’t actually think Yeonjun would go as far as to observe him. The feeling he had all day finally made sense. He _was_ being watched. Yeonjun grabbed his bag and pulled out a water bottle from it. It was Soobin’s. 

“I’m curious to know why you didn’t fight me over it after messing with you,” Yeonjun chuckled. “Such an expensive container too, I’m assuming. It’s not easy to give up a $50 bottle so fast, unless you’re pretty well off.” He wasn’t wrong though, Soobin was pretty well off, but that’s not why he gave up the bottle. “I am well-off,” Soobin refuted. Although Yeonjun was convinced, he knew there was something else. But he decided to let it go for now. Right now, he wasn’t trying to make Soobin angry, instead he had other plans. 

“Soobin,” Yeonjun had gotten up and made his way towards Soobin. Yeonjun placed both his hands on the other’s shoulders and exclaimed, “Let’s be friends!”


	2. Chimaek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonbin spend some time alone together :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might be thinking, “Wow, what a quick update!” Sorry to crush your expectations, but it might never occur again 😭 I suck at updating
> 
> anyway, i hope this chapter tickles ur fancy hehe i pulled an all-nighter today so if the grammar sucks, you know why :D

Soobin was flustered. The other boy zoomed his way towards Soobin’s side of the living room, putting his hands on Soobin’s shoulders. Soobin’s heart was racing faster and faster as Yeonjun inched closer to him. He looked up at Yeonjun. Details of his face became finer and finer with every inch. Soobin was prepared for the worst, but for some reason he didn’t push the other away. Soobin closed his eyes and waited for...something. “Let’s be friends!” Soobin heard Yeonjun exclaim. Soobin reopened his eyes, almost sighing in relief he wasn’t puckering his lips. But he could feel the heat from his ears rising from the embarrassment.

“Oh, uh,” Soobin couldn’t figure out what to say. “Is that all? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” He awkwardly laughed. “I thought we were already pretty acquainted with each other.”  _ I’m an idiot, why’d I think he was actually gonna...do that?  _ Soobin avoided further eye contact; he wasn’t necessarily sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. He wasn’t gonna deny it, Yeonjun was pretty cute and Soobin’s type for that matter. And his personality, it was everything Soobin wished he could be: sociable, genuine, likable, intimidating (but in a good way). 

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean we’re ‘friends,’” Yeonjun pointed out. He finally lifted his hands off of Soobin’s shoulders. Soobin literally could feel a weight being lifted from his shoulders and was able to breathe normally again. “Friendship scratches deeper than the surface,” Yeonjun’s face lit up. “So now that we’re friends, why don’t you tell me your biggest fear?” 

“Why do you feel it’s necessary for me to tell you that?” Soobin demanded. “I don’t feel like telling you.” Unfazed by Soobin’s rejection, Yeonjun came up with a different solution. 

“Then, I’ll tell you my biggest fear,” he smiled. Soobin couldn’t quite understand what was going through Yeonjun’s head. Before he could interrupt, Yeonjun began speaking. “I guess out of everything, I fear oblivion the most,” he laughed. Soobin certainly didn’t expect that kind of answer from him. When Yeonjun thought he was the only observant today, Soobin had also been taking glances back. Yeonjun was always surrounded by people and extremely extroverted. It was hard to dislike him, he’d talk kindly to everyone, no matter what background. He was goofy at times and a borderline trouble maker. However, he seemed to have a good relationship with every teacher. 

Yeonjun noticed Soobin in deep thought and laughed. “It’s a pretty complicated fear, isn’t it?” He leaned his back against the counter table where Soobin was. “Although, my life isn’t completely based on avoiding that fear, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“I see,” Soobin admitted. 

“Now that I told you something personal about me, don’t you think it’s fair that you tell me yours?” Yeonjun alluded. 

“...Right,” he mumbled. In fairness, Soobin knew it’d be quite rude and one-sided of him to let Yeonjun tell him something so personal by himself. Initially, Soobin planned on lying to Yeonjun. But from the look of his face, Soobin knew that he couldn’t lie about it. “I’m afraid of trusting people,” he blurted out. “But I’m also afraid of being alone.” Soobin scanned Yeonjun’s face for a response. 

“Why is that?” The other questioned. Soobin hesitated for a moment. 

“You didn’t explain yours…”

“Ah, touchè. I guess we can leave that for another time,” he replied. The two sat in awkward silence for a moment before Soobin’s phone rang. Soobin’s ringtone played loudly enough for Yeonjun to notice and chuckle. “Is that...KK Slider?” Yeonjun teased. “You play Animal Crossing too?” Soobin’s ears turned red. 

“I’ll go take this,” Soobin grumbled. Yeonjun smiled and nodded his head at Soobin. Soobin entered the kitchen and answered the phone. “Hi, Mom.”

“Son, how was the first day of school?” She exclaimed. 

“It was great. How’s the bakery doing?”

“The usual, but that’s not important right now!” She declared. “Your dad and I feel horrible that we can’t be there right now at a time like this, so we’re sending delivery food over to your place as an apology.”

“No it’s fine really—” Before Soobin could finish, Yeonjun popped his head through the kitchen entrance.

“Soobin, I think the rain stopped, I’ll take my leave,” he yelled. “Thanks for letting me stay.” 

“Soobin?” Soobin squinted. “Do you have a friend over?” Soobin’s mom interrogated. 

“He’s just about to leave Mom—”

“Ask him to stay a little longer!” She beamed through the phone. “I ordered large portions, you both should eat it.”

“But Mom—”

“Ask him to stay,” she snarled at Soobin. 

“Alright,” he gave in. “Wait—Yeonjun!” Soobin made his way towards the other teen. Yeonjun let go of the door knob and turned around to face Soobin. He smiled and tilted his head with a questioned look on his face. “Do you...perhaps...want to stay a little longer?” Yeonjun’s eyes and smile widened. “Uh, my mom ordered some delivery food,” Soobin looked down on the floor, avoiding eye contact with Yeonjun. “I can’t really finish it all by myself.” 

Soobin held his phone closer to his ear to hide how red they were right now.  _ How did it turn out this way?  _ Soobin could hear his mom squeal with excitement on the other end. 

“So~ Is this friend,” Soobin could almost hear his mom smile. “Is he cute?” 

“I’m hanging up,” and as Soobin was about to end the call, he said one last thing. “He is, Mom. Okay, love you.” He looked up again at Yeonjun.  _ He looks way too satisfied right now,  _ Soobin thought. 

“I am…?” Yeonjun questioned. 

“I told her you were staying to eat,” he lied. Soobin set his phone down at the dining table. The pair made their way over to the living room and sat on the couch. “I’m not really sure what foods she ordered, but I hope she didn’t order something you dislike.”

“I don’t mind at all, I’m not a very picky eater,” he smiled. “What about you? Do you dislike any foods?” Soobin gave Yeonjun a questioned look.  _ Why is he so eager to learn about me?  _ “What’s with the face?” Yeonjun snickered. “I only want to know so I don’t get you something you don’t like when I pay you back for this meal.” 

“You don’t have to,” Soobin uttered. He turned to look at Yeonjun. He had his arms crossed, eyebrows knitted together, and one corner of his mouth slanted upwards, almost as if he was disappointed in Soobin’s response. Soobin gave up and sighed. “Mint chocolate,” he mumbled.

“Woah, really?” Yeonjun’s expression changed. “That’s actually one of my favorite ice cream flavors,” he laughed. 

“...Seriously?” Soobin cringed. “That stuff tastes like toothpaste.” Soobin tried to loosen up a little. 

“Are you kidding me? The mint is the best part!” 

“You,” Soobin brows furrowed, but he smiled widely and laughed. “You have questionable tastes.” 

“Speaking of questionable tastes,” Yeonjun began. He scanned the room for Soobin's phone and looked back at the teen sitting next to him. “KK Slider ringtone, huh?” Soobin covered his face with both of his hands. 

“Promise not to laugh at me?”

“Why would I?” Soobin looked at Yeonjun. Yeonjun remembered how he giggled upon hearing the song. “I like Animal Crossing too, don’t worry.”

“Really?” Soobin lit up. “Wait a sec, I’ll bring out my switch.” He toured Yeonjun through his town and the two began to talk about each other’s favorite and least favorite villagers, rarest items they’ve collected, and visited each other’s towns. This continued for another thirty minutes.

Although, time moved rather slowly for them. But neither of them seemed to care that the food was taking a while to get there. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the door bell. 

“Oh, it’s here,” Soobin got up to retrieve the food. His mom had ordered them chicken. The aroma quickly filled the apartment causing Yeonjun to jump in excitement.

“Hey, I’ll be right back,” Yeonjun put on his jacket. Soobin was confused and Yeonjun must’ve noticed. “Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, I live on the floor below you,” he said as he left. 

“—What?” Soobin blurted.  _ Wait—then what the fuck was he staying here for?  _

Yeonjun unlocked his apartment and grabbed two beers. Like he said, he made sure to be back right away. He made his way back to Soobin’s apartment and knocked on the door. Soobin answered the door and to his surprise, he saw Yeonjun hold two cans of beer to his face. 

“Are you insane?” Soobin scolded. “We’re underage.”

“C’mon, it’s just  _ one _ beer,” Yeonjun pleaded. “Besides, my uncle left them at my place, so I need to get rid of them somehow.”

Soobin looked unsure, “We have school tomorrow.” Yeonjun chortled. 

“We’re not gonna get hungover on one can of beer, Soobin.” Yeonjun wrapped his arm on Soobin's neck and the both of them walked inside. “Besides, I wanna try having chimaek with you.” Just then, Soobin’s stomach growled. 

“Do what you want, I’m starving.” The two sat together at Soobin’s two-person dining table and began to devour the chicken. Both let out satisfied sounds. Soobin got up to search the fridge for some side dishes his mother left him the last time she visited. While he was busy doing so, Yeonjun cracked both beers open and placed one near Soobin’s plate. Yeonjun took a big gulp and let out a loud, satisfied sound.

“Man, that hits the spot.” He watched Soobin return with a stack of filled tupperware. 

“This is definitely more than enough to stuff ourselves,” Soobin rejoiced. His mother’s side dishes were the best, he couldn’t think of a better time to bring them out. 

The two were completely hypnotized by the food that Soobin was unaware he had been gulping down the beer. Unfortunately for Yeonjun, Soobin was a lightweight. Halfway through his can, Soobin was unable to sit still and began speaking gibberish. At one point, Soobin got up and made his way towards the couch and face-planted onto the cushions, all while Yeonjun was watching in amusement. 

After all the food was inhaled, Yeonjun began to clean up while Soobin laid on his couch, giggling about the strangest things. Out of nowhere, Soobin spoke up, “Hey–I think you’re pretty cute.” Yeonjun paused for a moment and laughed. 

“Really? I hear that a lot. But somehow it’s nice hearing it from you.” 

“Hehe, if you weren’t straight, I’d probably ask you on a date,” Soobin giggled. 

“Oh?”

“You’re cute hehe, super nice and smart and all,” Soobin’s tone shifted. “I wish I wasn’t so into boys.” He sniffled. “I wish I could tell people how I feel without getting blackmailed for it.” At that point Soobin began to cry. “Why is it so hard to trust people?” Yeonjun walked over to where Soobin was. He knelt down beside the couch and began wiping Soobin’s tears. Yeonjun was at a loss for words. He wanted to get to know Soobin gradually, he wasn’t expecting to be hit with something so personal. 

Yeonjun was tempted to ask him about what happened, why he was crying so hard like that. But he decided it was best if he just waited until Soobin was ready to tell him. He waited for Soobin to calm down and fall asleep, and placed a blanket on him. 

Before Yeonjun could get up and leave, Soobin grabbed him by the hand and pulled him close so they were face-to-face. Before Yeonjun could even think, before Soobin came back to his senses, Soobin pecked a kiss on Yeonjun’s lips and passed out. 


	3. Dilemma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonjun has an internal crisis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :,) well...long time no see? I’m sorry this is a short update despite literally abandoning this fic for abt...2..??months?? 
> 
> But I finally have some motivation to write again and to be a productive member of society!! So I’ll post again soon, otherwise bully me in the comments :,D
> 
> <3

Yeonjun stared at the sleeping Soobin for a moment. His face turned red. _ I’m an idiot, what the hell am I doing right now.  _ Embarrassed, he collected his belongings and tried to leave everything exactly where it was when he came there. As he tip-toed his way to the front door, he could hear the other snore comfortably. He stopped for a moment and took pity for drunk, messy Soobin. He pulled out a throw his classmate was sleeping on and tucked him in. He  _ would _ have carried him to bed, but Yeonjun felt he was overstepping his boundaries at that point. That,  _ and _ the fact that the other boy was visibly bigger than him. 

Yeonjun resumed to tip-toe his way out of Soobin’s apartment and into his own. As soon as he reached the other side of his door, he raced towards his bed and squeezed the nearest plushie. One thought stood out in his mind.

_ That was my first kiss… _

The mere thought of that made Yeonjun cringe, but his heart continued to beat loudly. His face still flushed, he walked towards the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face to calm down. But every time he looked up at the reflection of his lips, his bpm rose once more. 

As social as Yeonjun is, he’s never really dated anyone, but neither had he ever been interested in anyone. For once, he found himself in a completely awkward situation and didn’t know how to move on from it. Yeonjun had long ago accepted the fact that he was clearly into guys, but juggling his life as a trainee and a high school student made it difficult to squeeze in romantic relationships.

The kiss replays in Yeonjun’s head like a broken record, even as he tried to actively avoid it by studying or when he got ready for bed, Yeonjun’s mind was somewhere else. It’s almost as if that kiss opened and let out all the anxieties in his head. He felt a sense of guilt. The truth was, that wasn’t the first time he’d met Soobin, he’s actually known about him for a while. 

-

Flashback to a few months ago, after Yeonjun decided to take a year off of being a trainee, a large moving truck sat in front of his apartment complex. Yeonjun was about to leave to hang out with his friends until he heard two voices call for him across the street. 

“Psst! Young man!” A woman’s voice was coming from a black car in front of Yeonjun. Although pretty obviously sketchy, Yeonjun stopped in his tracks and turned his way towards the car. 

_ Is she talking about me?  _ He took out his earbuds to get a better listen. He then looked straight at the black car and pointed to himself. He then mouthed the words,  _ Are you talking about me?  _ One of the windows rolled down had revealed a middle aged lady wearing black sunglasses and a scarf to hide her appearance. 

“Yes, you,” she points directly at Yeonjun. “Can I ask you something?” Yeonjun nods. Even though the whole setup looked a bit sketchy, the social butterfly in him was on autopilot. He made his way to the expensive looking car. “I’m sorry if this is a bit personal—and you don’t have to answer my questions if you want,” but judging by her appearance, Yeonjun felt she was desperate for answers. “—but do you happen to attend the high school just about thirty minutes from here?” Yeonjun nodded. “Oh, that’s wonderful—do you also happen to live in that apartment complex?” The lady pointed at the building Yeonjun had come out of. 

“Yes,” Yeonjun said politely.  _ She must be someone's mother.  _ “Are you looking for someone?” 

“Ah, no. Actually, my son is moving here today. He’s attending your high school next month.” The lady was hesitant before she continued to speak. “I need someone to keep an eye out for me. Will you be willing to accept a job offer?” She asked Yeonjun.

“A job? I’m sorry, Miss, but this is starting to sound a bit sketchy,” Yeonjun replied. 

“Please let me explain,” she places a business card on Yeonjun’s hand. “I promise you I’m not sketchy, just a very busy parent who’s concerned for her son.” Yeonjun took a closer look at the card he was given. 

“You’re the Co-CEO of ‘The Bakery Place?’” He exclaimed.  _ Their pastries are fucking phenomenal.  _ “I’m very familiar with your brand! In fact I love eating there,” he said very shyly. “It’s such an honor…”

“Is that so?” The lady smiled proudly. “If you haven’t turned down my offer yet, we can discuss details at one of our shops here?”

“I’d love to!” 

For about an hour, the lady, who introduced herself as Choi Jiyeon, explained her situation to Yeonjun very carefully and vaguely, as it was still a private and personal matter. She wanted to keep an eye on her son, Soobin, but wanted to be able to protect him even from afar. She explained that Soobin had gone through a traumatic experience in his previous school but didn’t touch on specifics. Even if Yeonjun seemed like a polite and reliable student, she had faced off with the true nature of society before. 

As they neared their talks and agreed upon a draft of their contract, Mrs. Choi gave Yeonjun a mission. 

“Soobin...he rarely opens up anymore,” she begins. She places her hand on her chest, “But I...I still have the luxury to trust people blindly like this. What I’m saying is, I trust you. And I hope you’re able to earn his trust before you graduate.” Yeonjun reaches out for her hands to hold them. He was moved by this mother’s concern for her son and somehow empathized with her, despite not being old enough to have a child of his own. Maybe he was a bit envious of her son, but helping others always reminded him of his grandmother. 

“I’ll do my absolute best,” he assured her. 

That day, Yeonjun went home unsure of exactly what he just signed up for. He didn’t need the money, but Mrs. Choi insisted that she’d pay him to keep updates on her son. Unable to refuse her offer, they were able to agree on a fair salary that was neither too overwhelming or too little. 

They had agreed to contact each other through a messenger. The agreement also required Yeonjun to befriend Soobin and essentially become his mother’s eyes for the time being. To Yeonjun, this job seemed like a piece of cake. He’s a social butterfly after all, but he also has a special charm that brings people to open up to him. Although, while he’s allowed everyone to believe he’s an open book, Yeonjun has his own share of inner demons. 

-

With that in mind, Yeonjun had encountered his first obstacle on his first day on the job. With barely any sleep, he groggily makes his way to the bathroom to freshen up. He paused for a moment and stared at his reflection on the bathroom mirror.

“Dude, let that shit go,” he told himself. “Chances are he won’t remember it because it was  _ drunk _ .” 

_ But what if he remembers it later? Then things will get awkward between you too and you’ll never keep your part of the agreement,  _ a voice in Yeonjun’s head says. He takes a deep sigh and puts his head down. A million scenarios filled his mind, clouding his thoughts at that moment and unable to properly get ready. But a tiny bit of light was still shining through the cloudiness. As if a lightbulb went off in his head, he quickly lifted his head and began to put on his uniform hurriedly while speaking out his thoughts. 

“—Well, it can’t be  _ that _ hard to face him. If I don’t start acting differently, it won’t trigger him to remember anything, right?” He thought about it for what seemed like a while. Perhaps he was thinking about it a little  _ too  _ much. His buttons messed up and blazed inside-out, Yeonjun got ready for the second time. He looks at the time on his phone. 7:05 am. 

_ Crap, I don’t have time to think long and hard about it. Just pray he doesn’t remember,  _ and he dashed out the door. As he made his way out of the apartment complex, he saw no sight of Soobin. 

_ I guess he already left.  _ Although relieved, he was a bit disappointed at the same time. Yeonjun unlocked his bike from the bike rack and started his daily commune to school. Going down the familiar streets always gave him a sense of nostalgia. As a child, Yeonjun lived with his grandma. They spent many days together visiting shops and checking up on the neighborhood. She taught him how to be kind and to take care of others. The pair were continuously loved by the community and many felt personally touched by them. 

As time passed and Yeonjun grew, he became more committed to his dream of debuting as an idol, and spent increasingly longer times away from home. As difficult as those times were, it made coming home extra special to both of them. However, that all changed when his grandmother passed, and to preserve and honor the memory of his grandmother, he decided to take a break from his dream and spend the whole year home. 

-

With spring nearing, cherry blossoms had filled the streets with a beautiful pink color. 

_ Maybe I should dye my hair this color,  _ Yeonjun imagined. But it took him no longer than a few seconds to rule that out.  _ It doesn’t really suit me,  _ he thought.  _ But...I think it’d go well on Soobin.  _ He began to envision the tall boy with curly soft pink hair. He mentally stared at that image for a while and almost crashed into a trash bin, until a familiar voice called out to him. 

“Choi Yeonjun! It’s been a while!” Yeonjun stopped and turned to the direction he heard the voice. After recognizing the face, his face lit up.  _ Park Jimin?  _

“Jimin-Hyung!” Yeonjun parked his bike and walked over to greet an old friend. “When did you come back? I thought you’d be in America for another year!” He gave his hyung a big, welcoming hug. 

“Dad called me last week about needing an extra hand at the bike shop,” Jimin began. “So, I decided to take a short break from dancing.” Yeonjun and Jimin when they were kids and became close friends when Yeonjun was hired by Jimin’s father to help around with customers. They both shared a passion for performing. For Jimin, it was through contemporary dance. 

“That’s right! You should. Mr. Park constantly tells me how much he misses his very talented, only son,” he laughed. 

“So, when are you free? You should come work for us again,” Jimin offered. 

“I wouldn’t want to get in between your bonding with your dad,” Yeonjun replied. “Besides, I’m already preoccupied with something else for the time being.” 

“Is that so?” The other said disappointingly. “Well, you’ll still come over to hang at least? It’s been ages.” 

“Why wouldn’t I? Just give me a call whenever dude.” Yeonjun looked at the time on his phone. “Yikes, I should get going, see you!” Before he was able to place his foot on the peddle, another familiar face walked out of his friend’s shop.  _ Choi Soobin. _

Instinctively, Yeonjun called out to him. “Choi Soobin!” He rode his bike towards him. “What are you doing? You’ll be late if you walk now.” Yeonjun began to connect the dots.  _ Oh, does he ride a bike to school?  _

“Oh, you’re right,” Soobin replied. 

“Hop on,” Yeonjun offered. Soobin stood for a moment, a bit hesitant, but eventually gave in and hopped on Yeonjun’s bike. 

“Thanks,” Soobin said, not knowing where to put his hands. “I’ll return the favor when my bike gets fixed.”

“Really? You’d do that?” Yeonjun smiled. “Oh, you can wrap your arms around my waist.” He turned to face Soobin. “Don’t be shy, I wouldn’t want you to fall off,” he flashed a smile at the other boy. “We’re not wearing helmets, unfortunately.” 

“Uh, thanks. I appreciate it.” The two rode in silence the rest of the way to school. Yeonjun couldn’t help but blush the entire ride. Every time they’d hit a bump, Soobin would squeeze Yeonjun’s waist a bit tighter. Little did he know, Soobin could see Yeonjun’s flushed ears. Soobin decided that it was due to exhaustion, although that didn’t stop him from blushing either. 

Yeonjun was already nervous to face him when they arrived, but Soobin had already thanked him and entered the campus before he could store his bike somewhere. 


End file.
